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Aside from playing piano, we all have hobbies. Wheather its playing a sport, some kind of arts and crafts activity, or just as simple as playing a game (or possibly a combintaion of these or other categories). We all have things that we like to do when we are not playing the piano. (Oh yeah, also discludes posting here. We are worse than making a hobby of that. We are addicted. Admit it, you are). Anyways, here is a list of things that I like to do when I am away from the piano:

BowlingBikingSwimmingWalk in the parkWalk through downtown (and empty all pocket change to the homeless on the way, and if I'm out of change, I get out the dollars)CampingFishing (catch and release. I don't keep the fish. I just get a picture if its a big one. 1. I hate sea food. and 2. I don't like killing things, which means that I absolutly hate hunting above just about everything).HikingGo to the beachGolf and mini golfGo to a movieAnd the list could just go on and on. I almost never do these things without a friend with me. Anyways, I just wanted to know what the rest of you like to do in your spare time.

Mine:the stock market (because I don't do it professionally, though it sounds strange to call it a hobby)readingmovies!!!! I'm even having an Oscars partycollecting panda christmas ornaments (OK, I guess this is one confession I'll never live down!)shopping (deep discounts only, must go for the kill)

and cooking, cooking, cooking (but this is now a semi-profession for me).

Sports:Golf (a am about an 8 handicap. I also make my own clubs), Tennis (I was on my HS team, but I suck now)Fitness (I get to the weightroom once a week, I don't like running much)Skiing and Skindiving (less frequently as they require travel. As I get older I also find the warm beach and tropical waters is becoming more appealing than freezing on the chairlift!)Cooking (but not baking)Watercolor PaintingStunt Kites

Well, playing piano is I guess a hobby for me, but besides that, we have two Golden Retrievers who keep us busy, I play and coach soccer, and I'm a man with a broom - I curl!

I'm also getting back into photography after a hiatus of a few years. Our family also spends alot of time camping; We have a pop-up tent camper that we take to the road virtually every chance we can get in the summer.

Jamie

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"A cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" Oscar Wilde.

And, Fritz - those are fantastic pictures of your hike. You are quite the photographer. Was this hike like one of our forum get togethers? You all met on some message board and went somewhere and hiked for three days? Wow - that must've been some adventure! Jodi

Hobbies - avid reader (100+ a year), hunter, archery, gardening - primarily vegetables, around an acre's worth, firearms (all aspects) - including some amateur gunsmithing, exterior ballistics,and wildcatting. No need to call the FBI, they know who I am and my prints are on file! Some woodworking, although I never seem to have the right tool.

I would have added cooking to the list, but down here that is a form of religion!

What with full-time work and the piano there isn't time for much of anything else. But you could consider the following my other hobbies: gardening (flowers and small shrubs), my landlord lets me tend a small plot in the back yard; birds: I have 3 lovebirds and 5 parakeets. They are not caged and the parakeet's home-base is a corner of the kitchen next to the window where they have nest boxes up on the wall, a tree branch attached to the wall with a flag-pole holder, and various swings. The love bird's homebase is a corner of the dining room where they have a similar set-up. They all spend most of their time at home base. Only the love birds occasionally fly into the living room or bathroom. It is hard for me to imagine life without birds. I've had birds for about 12 years.

If I had more time, let me re-phrase that: if I were independently wealthy, (ha!), I'd have a house (not far from the city) that would have a big conservatory filled with gorgeous flowers and many beautiful birds and I'd have wonderful perennial gardens and arbors and roses and small animals ... and ... probably a Steinway (ha ha!)

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"Hunger for growth will come to you in the form of a problem." -- unknown

Hobbies are something that you do on a regular basis. I can't even get to the piano to practice on a regular basis. However, stuff that I like to do whenever the opportunity arises (even if only once a year): skiing, sailing, boogey boarding/body surfing, camping, travel.

I would love to have a house with a back yard for a vegetable and flower garden, and a retirement to leave me enough time to garden at will!

pianobikingtaking a walkinline skatingreadingplaying parlour games with friendsgardening

Horse riding was on top of my hobby list as long as I stayed with my parents. They have a house in a suburb and the neighbours had a couple of horses which I were allowed to ride. I haven't been on horseback since I married nearly 10 years ago because since then I live in the city center. Not an ideal place to keep a horse.

But with a full-time job, the thing I do most for a hobby is actually piano playing. Not enough time for all favourite activities

We're moving to our retirement home in a couple of months. 1.6 acres, after swearing that we will have no more large yards. The front yard's okay. Back yard has been inhabited by 2 beagles & is totally bare except for an ugly tool barn. After I'm finished using all the HGTV whimsy (hate that word now)I can muster, it'll be adorable. We have to kill the weeds & START ALL OVER. I'm excited about being able to create a garden from scratch. So that will be my biggest hobby. Will also see the USA & visit grandkids who are too far away.

For all you folks who said your twins are your hobby, I raised a set & they turned out to be our best creation so far.

I understand. But, you must think that life is long and we really have a lot of time to do many things. Also think about how music pleases you. It is so unfortunate that too many people have no interest in it.

Where do you live in Germany?

Please forgive my horrible German...I've only spoken this language for two years)

My hobbies:Deutsch (Just started learning Japanese also to accomodate the missus...SO HARD)

Computers - hardware, assembly, some light programming

I just started a regular workout program back in September also (even though it has waned a little in the past month :D)

Traveling - going to spend about a month in Italy this summer and then maybe some time in Japan afterwards.

first let me say that your German is rather good especially if you've spoken the language for two years only! My English was still a complete mess after the first two years of learning the language Ah, and you can say DU zu mir

Yes sure, life is long and there is still a lot of time to do all the things one likes to do later. It's just that I could do with a bit more outdoor activities. Sitting in front of a computer day in day out is not that kind of thing that keeps you healthy and fit But when I have to decide between piano playing and sports I always choose piano playing. Making music has, especially since I work full-time, become the most comforting and relaxing activity in my life.

I live on the edge of the Ruhrgebiet (That's the region along the river Ruhr. Cities in this area you may have heard of are Essen, Dortmund and Bochum). The city where I actually live is rather medium sized, it's called Wuppertal.[If anyone finds this name funny he/she is herewith invited to a good laugh because everybody does laugh about it, though I can't figure out why ]

Brendan, if you like to use your German more often, feel free to email me privately.

what an interesting group of people! fritz, how do you get in those long hikes with five kids at home? i see that you are accustomed to the type of backpacking trip that you have planned for montana. good luck! conditions are a little different out here.... mostly due to elevation and extreme weather any time of year, not to mention some very rugged terrain. but hey, sometimes the most memorable trips are the most arduous ones.

what i spend my time doing when i'm not hanging out on piano world (and i'm definitely thinking i need to take some cold turkey time off):

walking, grooming, training my doglooking for puppiescuddling the cattalking to the vet or the breederfixing up this old house from the '30s--i renovated the living room before the piano got here.gardening--we have a huge yard filled with roses and tulips and native plants and a dozen mature lilac trees, and i got my master gardener certification a few years ago.cross country skiingbackpacking (the mountains are my life)listening to musicreading--currently reading "fearless creating" but also read good fiction and junky magazines. this is an antidote to the TONS of reading i have to do for work.surfing the 'networking out at the health clublong walks with friendspotluck suppers with friendspiano parties with my fellow piano studentsroad trips and movies and date nights with the hubstervacations to warm places with nice coral reefs!mentoring the young people in my life

Hi,Horses, horses and more horses. However, I have down-sized considerably....to just 4 from a high of 16. Also, when there's time, I love reading, tennis, movies, swimming and boating. And won of my biggest hobbies (yes, I do it regularly) is to daydream of Arizona. I love visiting there; plus I have some of my relatives there. (I've got 54 first cousins!)I do have a new litter of puppies in the barn. A stray came and had eight! Boy are they ever CUTE! BTW Jodi, when will she come in heat...like how much time do I have before spaying her? She's a neat dog; and I've decided to keep her. None of my neighbors knew anything about her. She must have been dumped. I'm keeping one puppy. I'm also going to breed my paint mare next month. I'm going to use cool shipped semen. Wish me luck. Bye....

Eldon, Eldon - I SLEPT through small animal medicine and surgery. I remember next to NOTHING about small animal reproduction. But I'll look it up for you. Good luck with your mare - are you breeding her to a Paint? There is a lovely warmblood stallion in North Idaho (he stands at Kruger Ranch in Rathdrum) that gets bred to lots of paints - He is huge - 17-2 hands, jet black with chrome. His babies are really nice. Jodi

in general, bitches come into heat every six months, though individuals do vary in this.dog gestation is 63 days, give or take, so you can extrapolate from her whelping date when she was last in heat.

ask your vet to be sure, but you can probably spay your new friend as soon as the pups have gone to their new homes (which should not be any sooner than when they are six weeks old, and seven or eight weeks old is even better).

PiqueThanks the info. I knew the gestation period; and when you said every 6 months, it all came back to me. Yes, I will spay her as soon as the puppies are weaned. She's a neat dog and great mother. The puppies are now just 4 weeks old. I gave them some baked chicken tonight. They sounded like this rowdy bunch of tuffys. I just don't know how ANYONE can drop a dog off in the country. I think it happens more than anyone realizes. BTW, what breed is your LARGE dog?